and all weekend, in fact every since I sat down to write the script for the talk I have been thinking about how far we have come with Autism Acceptance.

As in.. not that bloody far at all.

Ok, thanks to some pop stars, some playboy models, some films starring Dustin Hoffman and Clare Danes we are all becoming a lot more aware of Autism. Well some people are. There is still a tabloid driven population that persists in thinking it is just bad parenting but I will ignore them.

So yeah, we all know about this Autism thing, but we have such a long way to go with acceptance.

And I am not just talking about the WOEFUL reaction to diagnosis, provision of services and recognition of the need for fully funded evidence based interventions. None of which have changed in the 13 years I have been doing this job. (it took me 3 years to realise my son has autism)

For the benefit of my friends who rely on visuals; Here is the script of what I am saying. References to slides, where you can't see my lips are given in bold.

Unimaginable Intelligence? This is the title of a Youtube clip that does the rounds on social media. It’s a network news story about Carly Fleishman a young woman with a speech disability who begins to express herself distinctly using a computer. And it really pisses me off.

I realise it is inspirational, but it is the tagline that annoys me. Why say “Unimaginable Intelligence” ? why couldn't anyone imagine that Carly was always intelligent - technology just caught up.

Carly has autism
Most people understand autism as one of 2 extremes. One is the “savant” the Rainman who can count cards, memorise the calendar, and draw a map of an entire city after only seeing it once.
Popular culture and the media has lionised these people to the point where when someone, finds out your child is Autistic not Artistic
will ask “ What …